Page 130 of Crossover

As I approached Vosch, one of his henchmen materialized before me, his meaty palm slamming against my chest. I met his coffee-colored eyes, my gaze a silent, deadly warning.

I had to admit, it was satisfying, watching his hand fall away, as if scorched.

“Arms up,” he growled, trying to reclaim his authority.

I complied, feigning irritation to mask the adrenaline coursing through my veins. His hands roamed efficiently, searching for hidden weapons down my left leg, across to the right, then back up my torso. My short sleeves offered no concealment, so thankfully, he didn’t pat my arms down and risk pricking himself with the drop of poison that would’ve spelled death for us both.

When he reached into my back pocket, I tensed imperceptibly. He extracted my cell phone, a small victory in his eyes as he nodded toward the bench where Vosch waited.

Little did they know, the deadliest weapon of all wasn’t a gun or even the poison on my watch; it was my resolve, honed razor-sharp and ready to strike.

Taking a seat on the far end of the bench, I faced forward and didn’t make eye contact with one of the most dangerous men in the world. Who now sat four feet to my right.

I quickly studied every possible escape route, just as I had done before I got here, but this time, I was able to calculate the distance and evaluate how many people might get in my way. The grand staircase loomed ahead, its twin flights sweeping upward like outstretched arms, but reaching it required me to get through a herd of civilians. The most realistic avenues of escape were the train bays—gigantic doorways where concrete platforms offered pedestrians a safe boarding experience onto the passenger trains that dispatched from Chicago.

If I walked far enough into one of the platforms, it would eventually lead to an uncovered exterior where I could run. Ideal? No.

But it might be doable.

Vosch didn’t make a move, my presence seemingly inconsequential to him—or so he wanted me to believe, anyway. I swallowed, waiting for him to make the first move because my biggest play here was patience.

Eventually, Vosch cleared his throat. Keeping his stare forward, he said one simple line.

“You shouldn’t have put your family on that plane.”

73

GRAYSON

My heart stopped for a moment, trying to gauge what he’d meant by that. Was it a threat? Did he really have my family in his sights, or was it merely a tactic to throw me off my game?

I clenched my teeth and swept my gaze over to Vosch’s ugly face. Based on the yellowing of his teeth, the guy had been too busy committing crimes to visit a dentist for the last decade.

“If you expected me tonotmake a move to protect my family, then you didn’t do your due diligence on me thoroughly enough.”

I kept my face neutral, hiding the heart lodged in my throat.

“You had very specific instructions.” Vosch looked at his fingernails.

“If it was going to upset you this much, why didn’t you try and stop me?” I challenged.

I was fishing, trying to figure out what he knew or how much of this was a bluff, but infuriatingly, he revealed nothing.

Instead, he said, “If you can’t be trusted to follow those instructions, you can’t be trusted to follow any of them.”

I wanted to press him more, but I had to be smart here. The goal was to eliminate him for good. Only then would my family ever be safe.

“Agree to disagree,” I said. “You needed protocols,” I said. “Protocols that are nearly impossible to obtain, by the way, and I have them. If taking steps to protect my family makes me untrustworthy, then I agree. You and I will not be able to work together.”

Vosch’s dark eyes snapped to mine.

When I had been preparing for this meeting, it was imperative to put myself in the mindset of someone whowasabout to work with Vosch. What would I say? What would I demand? Vosch would have done his research on me, and he would know that I would not be someone that would roll over easily. Nor would I be someone that would allow Vosch to bully me.

I was an assassin, for God’s sake. Someone who worked with death on a daily basis. His threats wouldn’t have the same effect on me that they would on, say, a typical civilian. And as such, I had to keep my cover in line with those expectations.

“I should warn you.” I kept my voice low, cool. “I don’t take too kindly to people threatening my loved ones.” I paused, letting that sink into his murderous head. “So, if we’re going to work together, you’ll leave my family out of this.”

Vosch’s lips curled up slightly in the corner. The asshole was even uglier when he smiled.

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